The present invention generally relates to an improved control pedal for a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a control pedal for a motor vehicle which is selectively adjustable to desired positions.
Control pedals are typically provided in a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, which are foot operated by the driver. Separate control pedals are provided for operating brakes and an engine throttle. When the motor vehicle has a manual transmission, a third control pedal is provided for operating a transmission clutch. A front seat of the motor vehicle is typically mounted on tracks so that the seat is forwardly and rearwardly adjustable along the tracks to a plurality of positions so that the driver can adjust the front seat to the most advantageous position for working the control pedals.
This adjustment method of moving the front seat along the tracks generally fills the need to accommodate drivers of various size, but it raises several concerns. First, this adjustment method still may not accommodate all drivers due to very wide differences in anatomical dimensions of drivers. Second, the position of the seat may be uncomfortable for some drivers. Therefore, it is desirable to have an additional or alternate adjustment method to accommodate drivers of various size.
Many proposals have been made to selectively adjust the position of the control pedals relative to the steering wheel and the front seat in order to accommodate drivers of various size. It would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that these adjustable control pedals can actuate both conventional cable controls and electronic throttle controls (ETC), because the ETC is a function separate from adjustability and the ETC module would typically be positioned remote from the mechanism for adjustment of the control pedals.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,632,183, 5,697,260, 5,722,302, 5,819,593, 5,937,707, and 5,964,125, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, each disclose an example of an adjustable control pedal assembly. This control pedal assembly includes a hollow guide tube, a rotatable screw shaft coaxially extending within the guide tube, a nut in threaded engagement with the screw shaft and slidable within the guide tube, and a control pedal rigidly connected to the nut. The control pedal is moved forward and rearward when an electric motor rotates the screw shaft to translate the nut along the screw shaft within the guide tube. While this control pedal assembly may adequately adjust the position of the control pedal to accommodate drivers of various size, this control pedal assembly is relatively complex and expensive to produce. The relatively high cost is particularly due to the quantity of high-precision machined parts such as, for example, the guide tube and due to the quantity of welded joints.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,643,525 and 3,643,524, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, each disclose an example of an adjustable control pedal assembly which is much less expensive to produce. This control pedal assembly includes an upper arm having a single horizontal slot, a rotatable screw shaft attached to the upper arm and extending along the slot, a nut in threaded engagement with the screw shaft and having a pin slidable within the slot, and a control pedal rigidly connected to the nut. The control pedal is moved forward and rearward when an electric motor rotates the screw shaft to translate the nut along the screw shaft. While this control pedal assembly may adequately adjust the position of the control pedal to accommodate drivers of various size and is relatively inexpensive to produce, this control pedal is relatively unstable and can have a relatively large amount of lash. That is, components of the control pedal are subject to vibration during regular operation of the motor vehicle causing the components to rub or strike together causing undesirable noise.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an adjustable control pedal assembly which selectively adjusts the position of the pedal to accommodate drivers of various size, is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, has a stable control pedal, has a relatively low amount of lash, and is highly reliable to operate.
The present invention provides an adjustable control pedal for a motor vehicle which overcomes at least some of the above-noted problems of the related art. According to the present invention, an adjustable control pedal includes, in combination, a first member having a slot formed therein, a pin laterally extending into the slot, and a second member secured to the pin and movable relative to the first member along the slot. A spring member is provided at the pin which resiliently biases the second member relative to the first member to resist relative lateral movement between the first and second members. In a preferred embodiment the spring member is spring washer such as a wave or Belleville washer.
From the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various preferred embodiments it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the technology and art of adjustable control pedal assemblies. Particularly significant in this regard is the potential the invention affords for providing a high quality, feature-rich, low cost assembly. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.